It’s summer time and the pressure to get our bikini bods on point is at its highest. It’s no secret that a good diet and exercise is the most effective way to get us feeling great mentally and physically. However, for those areas that we need a little helping hand in there is now fat freezing!

I’ve had a little experience with this in the past but not as much as my friend and colleague Lydia, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to do an interview. Happy reading and as always let us know what you think!

Me and Lydia on a totally sober work night out…

Lydia, could you start by telling us a bit about yourself?

My name is Lydia Seymour, 23 years old. I live in Kent and I worked as an Aesthetician for 7 years in some of the top Aesthetic clinics In Kent. During my time practising I performed all laser treatments, skin tightening, skin resurfacing, medical grade facials and of course Coolsculpting.

How would you explain Coolsculpting to a patient?

It’s an FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approved, cryolipolysis (fat freezing) device which permanently kills fat cells. The treatment works by targeting fat cells, which are always at a static number in the body post puberty. This means that when we gain weight we do not gain or loose fat cells. They simply expand or contract as we gain and loose weight. So, if we can kill 20-30% of fat cells in a desired area, they will permanently be less likely to put weight back on in the treatment zone.

How long does it take to see results?

Everyone will differ however in my experience anything between 3-12 weeks. I usually suggest taking ‘after’ photos at the 12-week stage. I would expect at this point for results to be visible.

What sort of person were you generally seeing?

I’ve seen all ages of patient from people in their 20’s up to 70’s. Mainly mum’s & gym goers however, men having aesthetic procedures is certainly on the rise! I would say for Cool Sculpting I saw 70% women 30% men. I did sadly also see patients who were body dysmorphic and not suitable for treatment at all.

How many patients did you see that weren’t suitable for treatment?

You’d be surprised actually, Coolsculpting is certainly not for everybody. It is in fact a very specific body type that’s suitable for treatment. Results are massively dependent on patient selection.

So what sorts of patient would be suitable for treatment?

Somebody within 2 stone of their ideal bodyweight, with grabbable pockets of unwanted fat. It is commonly thought Coolsculpting or ‘fat freezing’ can be used as a weight loss tool which is not the case. It’s designed as a spot treatment for specific areas that are not responding to diet and exercise. Flanks for example or the outer thighs.

Will patients have weight loss as a result of the treatment?

No. Patients will not notice any weight fluctuation on the scales unless they actually put weight on or are actively dieting! This is inch loss for body ‘sculpting’ and not weight loss. Results are visible through how their clothes feel and before/after photos.

What sort of patients would not be suitable?

Patients with very fibrous ‘hard fat’, looking to lose weight all over their body or someone with unrealistic expectations. This is not a miracle treatment and education is key to make sure patients understand that.

Did you regularly see people that were too thin for fat freezing?

Yep. I would regularly see people who would mistake loose skin for fat, in which case my go to treatment would be skin tightening alongside a good collagen supplement.

How would you deal with patient’s emotional responses to their bodies?

You of course must be sensitive and careful with your words, empathy is key. I would work alongside them to create a plan to help to achieve their goals, realistically. Most people are usually grateful for honest, genuine, professional advice, rather than someone just trying to sell them a treatment.

What are the associated risks with having treatment?

With any aesthetic procedure comes some risk. The most serious side effect is called Paradoxical Adipose Hyperplasia which is uncommon although if a patient was to suffer from this, the area treated in fact gets bigger and is only treatable with surgical intervention (sounds scary I know but this as I said is rare!). Of course, being a non-responder to the treatment is potential and also freeze burns. Freeze burns are extremely unlikely and due to the machine being so sophisticated (it is actually able to monitor the skins temperature) it would be down to operator error if this was to happen. If you are looking at having treatment always be sure that your practitioner has ran through the risks and possible complications thoroughly and that you are happy before proceeding.

So how much is Coolsculpting…?

£500 per cycle (1 treatment application in an area) e.g. flanks would generally need 2-4 cycles in the area which would amount to £1000-£2000.

Yikes! For those people whose beauty budget can’t stretch to that, what would your advice be?

Obviously, the best advice you can give anybody is to have a good diet and to exercise regularly, not only for weight loss but for general health and wellbeing. However, for anybody wanting an extra helping hand I would recommend the ZENii clean & Lean powder. The main ingredients are Glucomannan, which works by sponging up water in the stomach to make you feel fuller and help you to control your portion size, which is why it works best before a meal. It also contains essential pre- & probiotics and sugarbeet fibre to help with gut health as well as to relieve/prevent constipation.

Click here to see before and after photo of CoolSculpting! A special thank you to Lydia for being interviewed (she’s pretty awesome!)

If you have any questions or would like any suggestions on clinics in your area feel free to contact me.